Tag Archives: Sophie Kinsella

Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie’s life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle–from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she’s trying to negotiate. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she’s desperate to make her dad proud.

Then, just as she’s finding her feet–not to mention a possible new romance–the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, Katie retreats to her family’s farm in Somerset to help them set up a vacation business. London has never seemed so far away–until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets are spilled and relationships rejiggered, and as the stakes for Katie’s future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life.

My review:

I have a pile of heavy/emotional books lined up, so I figured this Sophie Kinsella book would a great little read in between. While I finishing it, it was only because I was curious to see if it could get any more ridiculous. (Spoiler: It does.)

The plot vaguely reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada in that Katie/Cat/Kath/Whatever hates her boss and she’s trying to make it in her industry. But something tells me that Kinsella tried just a little too hard to write a ridiculous movie script instead of a light-hearted novel. The whole scene when Demeter is at the farm is just over the top and too much.

I get that the main idea of the story is to get readers to remember that despite the fact that someone’s life may seem picture-perfect in life, there’s always so much more that is untold. Heck, even I remind myself that despite of annoying perfect someone may seem to be, they still have big, stinky poos. No one has their shit together 100% of the time – ever – and don’t forget that.

So, while the message of the book is indeed an important one, it really could have been tackled in a less-than-absurd way.

Welcome

Hi there! I'm Kara, and welcome to my little space of the Internet! I live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and am a wife and a stay-at-home mom to two wonderful daughters. This blog chronicles our general life shenanigans, with a few reviews and recaps of this and that mixed in! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your visit!